Any real alternative to D2000 (DT880 pro?)

My Rp-21 finally broke after 5 years and i'm on the hunt for a new full-size comfortable can.

For a lot of time the D2000 was on my crosshairs but the screw problem really put me off, the cheapest i can get them is 335$ including shipping and tax and having to deal with such problems is truly unaccaptable for me.

The number one priority for me is comfort, the Rp-21s killed me after 30 minutes of use and i would really want a serious upgrade in that department.

I wouldn't look past the d2k at all. It's a fantastic hp and soon you won't be able to get it. The screw issue is greatly exaggerated around here. It hasn't been an issue of any significance for a long time. You'd see people posting all over about it if it were still an issue.

The dt800 is a very different hp. Much more neutral in it's presentation. It'd be fine as a complement to the denon.

My Rp-21 finally broke after 5 years and i'm on the hunt for a new full-size comfortable can.

For a lot of time the D2000 was on my crosshairs but the screw problem really put me off, the cheapest i can get them is 335$ including shipping and tax and having to deal with such problems is truly unaccaptable for me.

The number one priority for me is comfort, the Rp-21s killed me after 30 minutes of use and i would really want a serious upgrade in that department.

I should mention that i hate shrill mid-highs\fatiguing sound\sibilance.

I was pretty satisfied with the amount and quality of the bass in my Rp-21 but i don't know if DT880pro has more or less bass than those.

I have another 200$ to pay for a dac+amp so take that into account.

What would you guys recommend?

Heya,

You have $200 extra for a DAC/AMP that is not even needed for such an efficient headphone. I'd suggest you just get the D2000 or D5000 and enjoy it. You don't need $200 more for an amplifier for them. So your budget is actually overall less with that and that's better for you.

I've purchased two open-box headphones from EE before. They weren't always the best with notifying my about shipping or providing tracking info, but I've had no problems with them. The headphones were both in new condition and have full warranties.

I think that the flimsy D2000+shipment from the other side of the world is not a good idea.

I've seen about 30 people complain about this problem, 4 got them broken in the first place, this is not a few isolated cases - this is a major design flaw and it feels bad to pay 340$ on a soon to be failing product.

Look at the price differences between the Denons and DT880PRO\990PRO, is the SQ of the d2000 so much better that it justifies higher price+the screw risk?

Apparently they have as much bass as the beats studio! i actually sell the beats studio for a living and i dont like them one bit, i need to EQ all bass frequiencies -3db down before i can even listen to them.

The graph isn't telling you as much as it could about the bass. For one the beats are closed back while the DT990s are open. Closed headphones will almost always have more bass pressure when bass output is equal on the frequency response. The DT990's bass decays way quicker too, which will also give you the impression of less bass. The DT990's grow anemic towards low sub-bass frequencies under 50hz.

As I said earlier, the DT990 will most likely be the closest thing to the D2000 in terms of sound signature, the major difference is that D2000 has a lot of sub-bass and DT990 does not.

It depends on the music you listen to. A lot of recent pop and brightly mastered songs they will tear apart and give you harshness. Even though the DT990 has a very large treble spike it's very refined and has little ringing.

Kenwood KH-K1000; not just an alternative, a superior 'phone (imho). More balanced, more comfortable, better build, and so on. No rattling screws either. AC sells them, and should ship to Israel.

That having been said, the D2000 isn't as fragile as people make them out to be; the only ones I've seen fully come apart are the result of shipping damage or outright abuse. You list "40 or so cases" - out of how many tens of thousands of units shipped over the last few years? I'd take the Kenwood over them for a variety of reasons, but I wouldn't write the D2000 off entirely; if it's what you like, get it. AC sells that too, so that's better than fleabay (you'll get the real deal and have some degree of recourse if they're damaged (http://www.audiocubes.com/faq.php)).

And lest you think I'm a salesbot - I'm not. I've been happy with the few purchases I've made through AC, and they're the only source of the K1000 outside of Japan that I'm aware of, and they happen to ship internationally. They also sell the Denon and will apply their warranty terms to it, so if it does break, you have that (as opposed to eBay where you basically take what you get).

Another alternative, and probably a cheaper one, would be the Ultrasone HFI-2400. It has more bass than the Kenwoods (and virtue of that, I would believe the Denons (I have not compared the Ultrasone against the Denon, only the Kenwood)). The mids aren't quite as spot-on, but they're very good. Very comfortable, built like a tank, etc. The only potential qualm with the Ultrasone (and this is any Ultrasone) is that not everyone experiences S-LOGIC the same way. See here for more:http://www.ultrasone.com/index.php/en/products/hfi-2400.html (and they do list a distributor in Israel: http://www.sontronics.co.il/ (I don't read Hebrew so I can't help much beyond what the Ultrasone site says)).

I'd list none of the above as fatiguing. I like the Ultrasones least of the bunch (too much bass for me; I am an anti-basshead though).

Regarding the Beyers - I've honestly never heard the 880/990; the T70 was harsh and etched though. CSDs show the T70 having a nasty ridge while the 990 seem free of it; I'm guessing they're not as bad as a result. The D2000s at $350 are not a bad price - the Kenwoods are slightly better but more expensive, the HFI-2400s are competitive but not as well rounded, albeit slightly cheaper (list is $329 US, they're usually around $229 though). I think compared to something like the T70, they're much better suited for more or less anything. Along with the Kenwoods, the Denon headphones really hit "all-rounder" out of the park. I think the HFI-2400 is the next closest tier, it's just the extra bass (but for the genres you listed it might be perfect; I liked them very much with rock and trance).Edited by obobskivich - 5/16/12 at 3:41am

Kenwood KH-K1000; not just an alternative, a superior 'phone (imho). More balanced, more comfortable, better build, and so on. No rattling screws either. AC sells them, and should ship to Israel.
That having been said, the D2000 isn't as fragile as people make them out to be; the only ones I've seen fully come apart are the result of shipping damage or outright abuse. You list "40 or so cases" - out of how many tens of thousands of units shipped over the last few years? I'd take the Kenwood over them for a variety of reasons, but I wouldn't write the D2000 off entirely; if it's what you like, get it. AC sells that too, so that's better than fleabay (you'll get the real deal and have some degree of recourse if they're damaged (http://www.audiocubes.com/faq.php)).http://www.audiocubes.com/product_info.php?cPath=23_36&products_id=2071http://www.audiocubes.com/product_info.php?cPath=23_36&products_id=2417
And lest you think I'm a salesbot - I'm not. I've been happy with the few purchases I've made through AC, and they're the only source of the K1000 outside of Japan that I'm aware of, and they happen to ship internationally. They also sell the Denon and will apply their warranty terms to it, so if it does break, you have that (as opposed to eBay where you basically take what you get).
Another alternative, and probably a cheaper one, would be the Ultrasone HFI-2400. It has more bass than the Kenwoods (and virtue of that, I would believe the Denons (I have not compared the Ultrasone against the Denon, only the Kenwood)). The mids aren't quite as spot-on, but they're very good. Very comfortable, built like a tank, etc. The only potential qualm with the Ultrasone (and this is any Ultrasone) is that not everyone experiences S-LOGIC the same way. See here for more:http://www.ultrasone.com/index.php/en/products/hfi-2400.html (and they do list a distributor in Israel: http://www.sontronics.co.il/ (I don't read Hebrew so I can't help much beyond what the Ultrasone site says)).
I'd list none of the above as fatiguing. I like the Ultrasones least of the bunch (too much bass for me; I am an anti-basshead though).
Regarding the Beyers - I've honestly never heard the 880/990; the T70 was harsh and etched though. CSDs show the T70 having a nasty ridge while the 990 seem free of it; I'm guessing they're not as bad as a result. The D2000s at $350 are not a bad price - the Kenwoods are slightly better but more expensive, the HFI-2400s are competitive but not as well rounded, albeit slightly cheaper (list is $329 US, they're usually around $229 though). I think compared to something like the T70, they're much better suited for more or less anything. Along with the Kenwoods, the Denon headphones really hit "all-rounder" out of the park. I think the HFI-2400 is the next closest tier, it's just the extra bass (but for the genres you listed it might be perfect; I liked them very much with rock and trance).

Nice writeup, the Denons haven't had screw issues for a long while. I own one, its really a good all rounder. But this does make me curious about the kenwood